My lab died 5 years ago, and I didn't think he was replaceable, so I didn't. Well apparently over the course of the hunting season this past year, I have mentioned how much I miss bird hunting ( I live on the edge of a milo farm, so I see birds all the time), to which my wife would say "well, Go!" To which I'd respond along the lines "not as much fun without a dog".So, last week my wife comes home with a registered 2.5 y.o.Chocolate lab, he belonged to one of the coaches at the high school where she teaches. He knows NOTHING, apparently he lived in the back yard, only occasionally interacted with and doesn't even have basic manners. On the plus side, he is very sweet, wants to please. Picked up the basics of sit and down pretty quick. So my question, after all of this is. Where can I find a training reference geared towards older dogs? Is it even necessary? I trained my old dog, but a) that was 20 years ago and b) my hunting partner was a dog trainer and walked me thru it. So any and all help is very appreciated.

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Some days you're the pigeon, other days you are the statue!

I would think the principles should be the same. Just going to have to work extra hard to get him excited to retrieve. Bill Hillmann says his stuff will work with older dogs as well and his stuff is really about getting that dog "wild to retrieve."